2015-2016 Blaze King Performance thread (Everything BK)

[rdust]

What is the cost difference these days?

Dollar difference seems insignificant, for Condar stuff it would be 30 bucks. If I go with another ceramic it will be from firecat. I haven't priced an OE steel yet. Mine has some cracks but has held up well so I'm not too worried about thermo shock issues. My gut tells me to stay with the ceramic but can't shake my curiosity of the steel. This weekend maybe I'll have clear skies so I can watch the chimney to see how long it's taking to clean up after loading. The winter gray skies in MI make for a terrible background!

 

[rdust]

Supply is a factor in determining what combustor is installed.

Let's please not forget, while stainless Durafoil combustors do heat up quicker (do to less mass), they also drop inactive sooner than ceramic substrate combustors for the same reason.

Leaving Anchorage....

So if you ever replace the one in your King it will be with another ceramic?

 

[BKVP]

On the surface it seems like heating up quicker would be more beneficial than staying in the active zone a little longer on the tail end of the burn since the majority of off gassing occurs at the beginning of the burn.

On the tail end of the burn, even though the cat is still in the active zone, opening the bypass does not produce any smoke from the chimney so I wonder how much benefit I'm getting from cat produced heat at this point anyway.

For the guy that is running late to get home and refuel, it counts...believe me.

 

[BKVP]

On the surface it seems like heating up quicker would be more beneficial than staying in the active zone a little longer on the tail end of the burn since the majority of off gassing occurs at the beginning of the burn.

On the tail end of the burn, even though the cat is still in the active zone, opening the bypass does not produce any smoke from the chimney so I wonder how much benefit I'm getting from cat produced heat at this point anyway.

For the guy that is running late to get home and refuel, it counts...believe me.

So if you ever replace the one in your King it will be with another ceramic?

Yup.

 

[webby3650]

For the guy that is running late to get home and refuel, it counts...believe me.

Exactly my experience as well. The quicker fire up is most often less of a necessity than a still active cat at the end of the day. I prefer the ceramic cat, it seems to be much more consistent due to its thermal mass.

 

[jetsam]

Is there a decent sized difference in how much heat they put out, though? At the end of the load I am guessing that more surface area is not doing much for you since there's not a ton of gasification going on, but how about early and mid-cycle?

 

[webby3650]

Is there a decent sized difference in how much heat they put out, though? At the end of the load I am guessing that more surface area is not doing much for you since there's not a ton of gasification going on, but how about early and mid-cycle?

I don't think there is any noticeable different during the majority of the cycle. In my experience the stovetop and cat are hotter for a longer period of time. The cerimac cat is still reading "active" when it's time to reload. The steel cat in the Ashford is typically "inactive when I get home.

 

[mwhitnee]

I did.......a couple of times...
So, I need to open the bipass everytime the door gets opened ???
Thanks for the help..

YES. I crack the door, and slowly count to five while opening the door fully.

 

[mwhitnee]

I have a King and I feel I have to lube the thermostat shaft. Why so soon after 4 months of burning? It sounds a little crunchy.

Does the fan kit on this unit have to be removed in some way to access it? My stove is in an alcove and I'm thinking this me be a little difficult...

 

[blueguy]

The crunching is the bevelled washers on the shaft turning against each other. A little lube there goes a long way and will return the shaft to easy turning. No need to remove the fan, just pop the stat cover off. It is held on by two #2 Robertson head screws. You may find some black silicone between the cover and stove body - just wiggle it out. If you look to the area just inside the housing where the shaft penetrates it, you'll see the washers on the shaft.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a King and I feel I have to lube the thermostat shaft. Why so soon after 4 months of burning? It sounds a little crunchy.

Does the fan kit on this unit have to be removed in some way to access it? My stove is in an alcove and I'm thinking this me be a little difficult...

Do not remove the fan kit or convection deck. Simply turn the thermostat down all the way, remove the two black #2 square drive screws at the very back, and then pop that cover off. It will be somewhat glued down with a touch of spooged out black silicone. No need to reseal the cover when you reassemble. Don't mess with the third screw that is usually silver and more in the middle of the back of the cover. Leave the stat closed when you replace the cover.

The spring washers need an application of something heavier than oil. I used antiseize grease the last time and it has given me much better results than my previous attempts with oil.

Note that you don't need to lube this. The stat will still function nomatter how scratchy and nasty the rotation of the knob feels.

Here's a few pics of what you will see under that cover. Note my copper colored grease on the spring washers.

edit: Blueguy and I were typing at the same time. Funny we used a lot of the same words too.

 

[Highbeam]

I don't think there is any noticeable different during the majority of the cycle. In my experience the stovetop and cat are hotter for a longer period of time. The cerimac cat is still reading "active" when it's time to reload. The steel cat in the Ashford is typically "inactive when I get home.

So you actually get a longer burn time with the ceramic? Or is it just that the ceramic cat retains heat better so it takes longer for the stove to cool off after the fuel load has expired? Are we talking an extra hour?

You see a lot of stoves webby, would you agree that the steelcats are more resistant to failure before naturally wearing out? For example, thermal shock?

 

[mwhitnee]

The crunching is the bevelled washers on the shaft turning against each other. A little lube there goes a long way and will return the shaft to easy turning. No need to remove the fan, just pop the stat cover off. It is held on by two #2 Robertson head screws. You may find some black silicone between the cover and stove body - just wiggle it out. If you look to the area just inside the housing where the shaft penetrates it, you'll see the washers on the sha

Do not remove the fan kit or convection deck. Simply turn the thermostat down all the way, remove the two black #2 square drive screws at the very back, and then pop that cover off. It will be somewhat glued down with a touch of spooged out black silicone. No need to reseal the cover when you reassemble. Don't mess with the third screw that is usually silver and more in the middle of the back of the cover. Leave the stat closed when you replace the cover.

The spring washers need an application of something heavier than oil. I used antiseize grease the last time and it has given me much better results than my previous attempts with oil.

Note that you don't need to lube this. The stat will still function nomatter how scratchy and nasty the rotation of the knob feels.

Here's a few pics of what you will see under that cover. Note my copper colored grease on the spring washers.

edit: Blueguy and I were typing at the same time. Funny we used a lot of the same words too.

Thanks Highbeam good to know I don't really have to do this. I did see your earlier post. But it feels like I'm turning a rusty rod through a hole and if it takes 5 minutes for me to do it, it getting done.

I know what lubricant to get... I might actually have some at home gonna check.

 

[sequoia]

All this talk about the how the CAT chews up smoke has me wondering if I'm not running my stove right. The way I understand it, once the CAT becomes active you shut the bypass and then the CAT starts "chewing" the smoke. So, am I not supposed to see any smoke at all? So far I see white smoke, no blue or darker. At times it's rather thick but mostly thin and airy. At what point does the CAT start to eat the smoke, as soon as it's active or only when it glows? Will I see smoke early on and not so much midway through the the cycle? Not really sure what I should be seeing.

All the same we are staying warm.

 

[Scoutin Wyo]

All this talk about the how the CAT chews up smoke has me wondering if I'm not running my stove right. The way I understand it, once the CAT becomes active you shut the bypass and then the CAT starts "chewing" the smoke. So, am I not supposed to see any smoke at all? So far I see white smoke, no blue or darker. At times it's rather thick but mostly thin and airy. At what point does the CAT start to eat the smoke, as soon as it's active or only when it glows? Will I see smoke early on and not so much midway through the the cycle? Not really sure what I should be seeing.

All the same we are staying warm.

The white whispy "smoke" you're seeing is primarily steam. Depending on the species and dryness of your wood source, you could see some darker smoke for the first 10 minutes you are in the active zone which will diminish as the cat warms and the t-stat adjusts the oxygen intake. A good functioning cat does not need to glow in order to be eating smoke. It sounds to me that you are functioning as BK and the aliens intended!

 

[Highbeam]

All this talk about the how the CAT chews up smoke has me wondering if I'm not running my stove right. The way I understand it, once the CAT becomes active you shut the bypass and then the CAT starts "chewing" the smoke. So, am I not supposed to see any smoke at all? So far I see white smoke, no blue or darker. At times it's rather thick but mostly thin and airy. At what point does the CAT start to eat the smoke, as soon as it's active or only when it glows? Will I see smoke early on and not so much midway through the the cycle? Not really sure what I should be seeing.

All the same we are staying warm.

In my experience these stoves smoke moderately with white smoke for a good 15 minutes after the cat is active and engaged. I really believe that this white smoke is the water being burned off along with the high volumetric flow rate passing through the cat during warm up with a wide open thermostat. Once the stat starts regulating the burn rate, in other words once the stove is warmed up, I don't see any more smoke of any color.

 

[Rossco]

Same here. A little whisper of smoke at first and or Vapour then nothing. In fact, the only way to know the stove is running is to place and object behind the cap and watch it dance in the heat plume.

 

[tarzan]

Yeah. Generally, if you follow the white smoke it doesn't get more than a few feet before disappearing. After your stove settles in you normaly shouldn't see anything but a heat signature although if you stare long enough you could still catch a wisp every now and then.

 

[Dieselhead]

I can get bluish smoke a couple hours into a burn with the cat well into the active zone. Someone said once it could be too much smoke being produced for the cat to fully clean up.

 

[Ashful]

Today I will be home indoors most of the day, for the first time since I bought these two Ashfords last spring. I'm going to use the opportunity to see if this little stove can raise my first floor temp 67F to 71F, in the 1770's wing, without help from the boiler. So, I will be running near WOT, with fan on medium (the fans on this stove rattle like hell!). Loaded is oak shorts and uglies, which I always set aside for weekend burning, wanting the straight long stuff for long weekday runs.

 

[webby3650]

Today I will be home indoors most of the day, for the first time since I bought these two Ashfords last spring. I'm going to use the opportunity to see if this little stove can raise my first floor temp 67F to 71F, in the 1770's wing, without help from the boiler. So, I will be running near WOT, with fan on medium (the fans on this stove rattle like hell!). Loaded is oak shorts and uglies, which I always set aside for weekend burning, wanting the straight long stuff for long weekday runs.

It shouldn't rattle. Is the entire housing rattling or is it coming from inside of the housing?

 

[tarzan]

Today I will be home indoors most of the day, for the first time since I bought these two Ashfords last spring. I'm going to use the opportunity to see if this little stove can raise my first floor temp 67F to 71F, in the 1770's wing, without help from the boiler. So, I will be running near WOT, with fan on medium (the fans on this stove rattle like hell!). Loaded is oak shorts and uglies, which I always set aside for weekend burning, wanting the straight long stuff for long weekday runs.

After seeing the forecast for your area I expected to be hearing from you this morning. I have 12 inches on the ground with another 3" expected. Looks like it may end up worse there.

19F outside here right now and 74F inside. Stove is just under "2" with fans on low.

 

[Poindexter]

@Ashful, when your temperature reading flattens out, trying living with the rattling fans on high for two hours and see what you get.

Please?

Maybe put on a Beethoven symphony to cover the noise and check thermometers after one hour? Even a 37 minute Billy Joel album?

I look forward to reading about how long it took you to find your socks again later tonight.

 

[Blazing]

I get the look from the wife if the fans get anywhere close to high like you said they rattle something fierce.

 

[Ashful]

It shouldn't rattle. Is the entire housing rattling or is it coming from inside of the housing?

Sounds like a loose bushing on one of the motors. Goes away on very low or full blast, but always present anywhere between. Unfortunately, the stove plenum rattles with the fans on high, so I can really only run these stoves on low, if I don't want to listen to rattling on that stove.

My other Ashford, no rattles, but that's the one where the fans would only run medium to high, no low range. That rheostat went poof when I tried to adjust the range, but BK replaced it. I should have them replace the rattling set, too, while they're still new and warranted.